tigers1998

For 24 hours I was on a liquid diet only. Afterwards, I am on a soft food diet until seen two weeks after surgery. NO fluid in the band until four weeks after surgery. BY NO MEANS DID HE MEAN EAT HOW I FIRST ATE. As you can see I learned from that. Anything I eat now is a very small cup size portion. However I am not allowed to eat solid food outside of fish. NO beef, chicken, pork, no raw veggies --- no solid fruit. All mushy soft foods. After my two week evaluation I will know what else I can eat. But for the main concern, yes I am allowed a soft food diet.

First Step Letter of Recommendation: Diagnosis: Hiatal Hernia Morbid Obesity. Doctor: We are going to fix your stomach and help you lose weight. You will be able to eat healthier. Me: I am tired of surviving off of starch and I really want an Apple Pecan Salad from Wendys. Can they do breast reduction and Lap Band at the same time? Doctor: NO, you can't eat a salad right now, but there is a possibility you will be able to in the future. No they can't do both surgeries at the same time. Me: Have you looked at me lately? If I lose to much weight, Im going to topple over. Doctor: You will be just fine. "Laughs". Second Step: EGD: Scope of the Stomach. Nothing to eat after midnight. Outpatient procedure. Yes an IV is involved. Yes you are placed in a twilight sleep. Microscope is run down your throat down your esophagus and through your stomach. A mouth guard is used to hold your mouth open during the proceeding. My concerns: Please don't let me slobber on myself during the procedure. Will I get a chance to count backwards from a hundred before I fall asleep? Can I have a print out of my telemetry scan? Wow the sky sure is pretty ( this is my last statement before I fall into a twilight sleep). Third Step: Upper GI. Drink the chalky tasting Barium. Move from one position to the next on the xray machine. Go home. Once again nothing to eat or drink after midnight. My concerns: None. My issues: Got my self tangled up in the hospital gown and walked back into the xray room. Needless to say, after much laughter, it took two people to get me out of the gown. Don't ask. Fourth Step: Pre Surgery Informational. Went as planned. Described what the Lap Band is, how it is placed on the stomach, the financing options available, what results are possible, comparison to other weight loss surgeries, the steps required for submitting your case to insurance, and of course - success stories. Fifth Step: Psych Evaluation. NO right or wrong here. Just be honest with yourself and with the psychiatrist or counselor. My concern: Please give me a good evaluation. The doctors are starving me with this pre op diet. I would like to eat soon. Sixth Step: Talk to the Surgeon. Just questions about expectations, family history, what you have done to lose weight in the past, health issues, and more information on the procedure. My concerns: Will I be able to eat fruit and vegetables without pain. While I am this pre op diet can I have milk? The answer is no. I really want a steak. The answer is no. Why do you not like me? Doctor "laughs" : You will be just fine. Seventh Step: Insurance approval: Took two weeks for an answer. Pre Surgery Diet: 2 Weeks: AdvantEdge Protein Shakes - One every three hours and water in between. NO FOOD. This was by far the hardest part of the process. Especially since It was the fourth of July weekend. Not very happy, Is all I can say. Surgery Day: Urinate in a Cup, IV, Lovenox shot in the belly ( stings ), Patch behind the ears to ward of nausea/After Surgery: Walk twice, urinate, eat a popsicle and keep it down, sent home with discharge instructions, pain medication, nausea medication, and a On Q pump. The patch and the pump are to be removed the third day after surgery. Removing the pump does not hurt BUT you will feel the the tubing moving out of your body as you pull on it ( Ask me and I will explain in more detail.)

Make the decision that is best for you. You've lost 175 lbs on your own. That tells me that your mind and your heart are geared towards a healthy lifestyle. The question is: do you personally feel like you will gain the weight back? Will you be satisfied with your progress once you've lost another 80? Are you doing this for health and not size alone? I have met people who were very successful with lap band and I've met some who never seem happy with their progress. No matter how much they've lost its never enough. I personally believe you will do well no matter what exactly choose as long as you do it for you and you alone. If you love yourself as you are, good decisions will follow no matter the path. I personally admire all you have accomplished on your own. If you choose the band, you will do well....if chosen in the name of health. If you choose not, I believe with continuous resolved and support you will be just fine. Whatever decision you make, be at peace with it and don't look back ....only forward.

LOL. I love hearing stories like this. Lets me know I am not the only one making mistakes. I just got banded on the 10th of July. I have only been off the pain pump two days. I felt good so I decided I would go for a walk. Well that walk turned into a drive across town. I figured I would go get some ice cream from the store. Well half way through my "walk of freedom", my stomach started to hurt and then I started sweating. Apparently, I wasn't as healed as I thought. LOL! Needless to say I am still sore as we speak. As far as food is concerned: I learned that small portions mean SMALL portions. Three scoops of mashed potatoes does not a small portion make. There is not position comfortable enough to deal with a full stomach after lap band. And burping is no joking matter right now as well. Lessons learned.

I was just banded on July 10 2013. Since I started the process (April 29 2013) from pre op appointments to pre op diet to surgery I have lost 30 lbs. My biggest issue body wise is up top: lap band wont fix that. Other wise, I feel great. I guess my journey started off different. My hernia was awful. I couldn't eat most foods and I was in pain constantly. NO surprise after hernia repair and lap band I feel tons better. I am just excited to be able to eat fruit. Much less lose weight. As far as image is concern, I was never a chubby child or a big teenager: I was actually fit and active. But I had more issues with my body image when I was slim than I do now that I am heavy. Im pretty confident that with the ability to actually EAT healthier, I will be able to whip my body back into shape. MORE IMPORTANTLY: I LEARNED THE HARD WAY IN LIFE THAT NO MATTER WHAT SIZE YOU ARE, YOU HAVE TO LOVE YOURSELF. NOONE CAN DO THAT FOR YOU. The more you love the person you are the more it will reflect on the outside. This journey is not just a health journey but a life journey: one involving ALL OF YOU. Not just what size you are. So look yourself in the mirror and be proud of all you have accomplished so far. Wear your clothes with pride. And the rest will follow.

Banded: July 10 2013

Banded: July 10 2013, Hiatal Hernia Morbid Obesity. To be honest, Lap Band wasn't really on my list of surgeries to have. I have always felt that I could lose the weight on my own if I could reduce the upper half of my anatomy (woman here..), Well, insurance doesn't agree that my upper half could cause me problems. However, My digestive tract was a whole other issue. As long as I can remember, I have always had issues with digestion: not being able to digest formula and breast milk, frequent stomach viruses, having to stay awake a few hours after I ate avoid choking on my meal while asleep, stomach ulcers, and finally not being able to eat a whole host of foods the last three years. Do you see a pattern here? Of course malnutrition began to catch up with me. My immune system was terrible. I caught everything. My vitamin levels were extremely low and I was basically living on starch. I was in pain when I ate and in pain when I was hungry. So, I figured if I can't get one part fixed, then it was definitely time to fix the other. I went to my doctor who referred me to the stomach doctor. I had an EGD and an Upper GI. Needless to say, my stomach looked awful. Gastritis, Ulcer, and most importantly a Hiatal Hernia that's been there since birth. Wow, all these years of stomach issues and no one ever told me I had a hernia. Well, he went over options for me. Surgery was a must. I could have a Nissen Fundoplication or I could try Lap Band as an alternative. I discussed the options with both my primary and my specialist. Both surgeries would fix the hernia problem. However, choosing the Nissen Fundoplication would virtually eliminate any possibility for weight loss surgery in my future and would be harder to fix should complications arise post surgery. So, I chose the Lap Band. Solve two problems with one solution. Having a restrictive diet is nothing new to me. Experiencing pain, nausea, and overall stomach upset....everyday part of life for me. So all of the situations discussed in the Pre Lap Band class didn't scare me. It was my hope that the Band would help eliminate some of these problems for me. Well, I am happy to say, I have been banded. I immediately felt much better. The only soreness I have is at the incision sites. This was my first major surgery, first time ever put to sleep. Amazingly, my cholesterol, blood pressure, and sugar levels were all Good BEFORE surgery. But NOW I am confident, I can keep them that way. I look forward to being able to enjoy fruit, vegetables, salads, things with tomato paste, and a whole list of other things I had to give up before. YES, I am aware I will never be able to chow down again. But if I can enjoy just a small portion of these foods than I am satisfied. Here's to a New Lease on Life. One hopefully without pain.

My Surgery date was July 10 2013. I arrived at 6am. Asked to urinate in a cup. Put on a gown which the nurse connected to a heating unit. I loved that part of the prep. Wish I knew where to get one of those gowns. My IV went in smoothly on the first try. Then I got a Lovenox shot in the belly. It did have a slight after burn for a few minutes. Then I received my first shot of Anesthesia. After that, it was pretty much a blur. I did see the inside of the operating room which looked a little chaotic and then I was out. Surgery was done in an hour. Everything went well. The doctor even mentioned the fact that I was smiling during recovery. (This doesn't surprise me at all. Pain medication makes me very happy.) Afterwards I got to rest all of ten minutes, then it was up to walk, use the restroom, eat a popsicle, up to walk again, and I was discharged home with an On Q pump.

I can eat without fear of pain. I can eat fruit and raw vegetables. I can actually drink something other than water.